Topkapi Palace with Harem and Blue Mosque Guided Tour
Description
Istanbul’s Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace are two of the city’s unmissable cultural and historic sites. Focusing on these two places will allow you to concentrate on their beauty and unique histories at leisure, without rushing on to other sites. Save time by skipping the ticket line in Topkapı Palace with priority access, definitely a bonus whether it’s your first time in Istanbul or you’re a repeat visitor.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque by many tourists has five main domes, six minarets, and eight secondary domes with traditional Ottoman architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.
Topkapı Palace was the seat of Ottoman Empire more than 380 years where 24 of 36 Sultans lived and ruled their land. The palace was transformed into a museum in 1924 and now one of Turkey’s richest museums with its permanent and temporary exhibition halls. Buildings and courtyards, including a treasury, apartments, bathhouses, harems, and an armoury, holy relics section, not to mention imperial halls, kitchens and royal chambers that make a visit into Topkapi’s inner walls one of the world’s great wonders. Treasures within include 13th-century Japanese porcelain, weaponry used by the Ottoman army, 86 carat 4th biggest diamond of its kind and world famous Topkapi Dagger any many more..
This is a small street with beautiful historic houses which are leaning against the wall of Topkapi Palace. Sogukcesme means, the cold fountain in English and street is named after the fountain situated at its end.
This beautiful square and a great place to make a stop, relax and take photos of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
"Sultan Ahmet Center", the heart of the "Old City" from where the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires were ruled.
The Church of Divine Wisdom, a fifteen hundred years old splendid monument, is a must see in Istanbul, built to be the world’s largest place of worship by Emperor Justinian in 532 AD
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Modest clothing should be preferred when visiting the Blue Mosque. Shorts for men or women should be below the knee. Women cover their heads and exposed shoulders with a scarf or shawl, skirt should be below the knee. For those who do not have suitable clothes, stands are available at the entrance. Overalls and headscarves are provided for free of charge.
- IF ALL INCLUSIVE OPTION IS NOT SELECTED: Entrance to Topkapı Palace (2000 TL or 55 EUR per person) is not included in the tour price. Once you pay your entrance fee (cash in Turkish Lira) to your tour guide, you will have the privilege of skipping the ticket queue. Please take this into consideration and have the entrance fee ready.
- ⚠️ Please arrive at least 5 minutes before the activity starts as finding a taxi and traffic congestion are always a problem.
Reviews(88)
The guide Erol Ütgün was amazing, very friendly, very knowledgeable and took the time to answer all our questions. The tour was more like walking with a friend, filled with laughter and no rush.
My guide, Erol Ütgün, was exceedingly knowledgeable and attentive. I felt like a learnt so much, and the 3.5 hours we were together flew by. Really enjoyable tour, I would recommend.
Great experience. Guide was very knowledgeable and patient. The itinerary was good, not too long, and, fortunately, we were the only ones in the tour.
It was very difficult to find the rendezvous point due to Istanbul's confusing streets and alleys. We had to get help from numerous locals, in fact one of whom called our guide and escorted us to the meeting spot.
Our tour guide was 30 minutes late. It was very crowded so hard to see everything. She was a good guide except for being late.
Our tour guide Kim was a wealth of information not just on the Palace and the Mosque but of the whole history of Istanbul and Turkey. We were the only ones who signed up for this tour and were so surprised that they did not cancel. So we actually had a private tour. Highly recommend this tour because Kim led us through all the buildings and especially knew what was not to be missed. We just followed along without any worries about where to go. Would highly recommend this tour. Be prepared for a lot of walking and a lot of steps.
Our guide was nice but the tour ended up being 3 hours, not 4 and it didn’t feel worth the cost. That said, depending on the included admission fee and the fact that you skip the line, maybe that’s worth it. For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Kim was an amazing guide. We really enjoyed our time with her. She was very knowledgeable. The Palace is a must see!
Huseyin was a wonderfully knowledgeable tour guide. He went out of his way to help with everything from flight issues to restaurant recommendations. His expertise on the subject matter was impressive, and he was also incredibly personable and easy to talk to.
Not to be missed , the private guide was well worth the money, she was very well informed & a credit to the company
